Recommended Drysuit options?

[wetbehindtheear]

I'm going to be ordering a custom drysuit soon (probably a Whites Catalyst), and would like to hear some opinions on the recommended options (pockets, kneepads, etc.)

 

[Adam Samansky]

Thigh pockets are good, P-valve is great! I'm having one installed as we speak)!

Adam

 

[gatorboy]

get any option that you want and can afford because doing it later can be smoewhat more costly. I own a DUI CF200 Siganture Series drysuit and have 2 thigh pockets with stainless D-rings inside each pocket, Neoprene neck seal, and the large knee pads. I also bought it with 2 pairs of cuff rings and dry gloves woth it. It was a lot more expensive than other dry suits, but it is custom fit, it has everything that I want and need and it's the best drysuit on the market. The only option I really didn't go for was the Pee-Valve, which I don't think I need. Did I mention that it's red?

 

[Mo2vation]

Not all options fit all types of diving.

For me, a P-valve would have been wasted money. I don't do they type of diving that requires deco obligations... and I dive a single cylinder. If I need to go, I can hold it comfortably for one tank - no problem.

Dry gloves? forget about it...I don't need them here in So Cal.

Pockets, knee pads, you bet. Suspenders (options on some suits) you bet.

Some other stuff is just hoopla. What type of diving are you currently doing, and will you be doing in the forseeable future (you suit will last from 7 - 10 years...maybe longer. Think out a ways)

Have you selected the fabric? The Undergarment? Are there boot options? Can you specify valve manufacturer and valve location?

Lots to consider. Don't start considering until you define your dive objectives.

And don't get florescent color overlays...they fade. Eventually, they all fade.

My $.02

K

 

[Barracuda2]

just in case you don't know---make sure you purchase the over-the-shoulder type weight belt harness. When I started using this system with my dry suit, I couldn't believe the added comfort. It doesn't have to be cinched up tight thus allowing trapped air to get to your dump valve and it's not down around your butt by the end of the dive. It's also more comfortable on the surface.

my $.02

Barracuda2

 

[MechDiver]

Mo2vation once bubbled...
Not all options fit all types of diving.

For me, a P-valve would have been wasted money. I don't do they type of diving that requires deco obligations... and I dive a single cylinder. If I need to go, I can hold it comfortably for one tank - no problem.

That probably means you're dehydrated Mo. A p-valve doesn't really have anything to with the style of diving per se, it just makes long dives more comfortable, and you don't have to worry about whether to drink that bottle of water before you dive.
If you're hydrated correctly, you *should* have to go while diving.

MD

 

[Mo2vation]

I am quite hydrated. I simply don't pee in intervals greater than most of my dives. I can surely go 45 - 55 minutes (my general bottom time in a single-cylinder recreational dive with some hoover as a buddy) between drains - that in no way makes me sub-hydrated at all.

I drain before I hit the water, and (usually) not long after I come out. This is surely regular enough for me, as I consume anywhere between 2 - 3 liters of water a day on land, and usually somewhere in that neighborhood on a dive boat.

I don't get your logic?

Ken

 

[MechDiver]

Mo2vation once bubbled...

I don't get your logic?

Ken

No logic, just what I have seen and experience. Sounds like you've got it covered and if it ain't broke, no need to worry

MD

 

[Mo2vation]

hope it ain't broke...





K

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I like an exhaust valve on the left forearm.

TwoBit